Tree63
The Answer to the Question
inpop Records

Tucked into the cellophane wrapper of this South African band's third disk are the following comments from Jon Rivers of KLOVE Radio and host of "20 the Countdown Magazine."

"Tree 63 (sic) is one of the year's surprises. Seemingly out of nowhere. . . ."

Hello Mr. Rivers. This is the band's THIRD release. They have toured the U.S. extensively. These comments, while meant to be positive and supportive, remind me of everything that is wrong with Christian radio: narrow formats and tightly controlled playlists that mimic top-40 secular radio rather than being uniquely Christian. If its not "radio friendly," forget it. I'm not condemning all of Christian radio, but I think more than a few Christian radio programmers could benefit from studying 1 Corinthians 12. Too many Christian radio stations, in my opinion, place too much value on standards of this world.

Off my rant and back to the task at hand, this is a great rock record. Tree63 is sonic. From the opening cascade of guitars on "King," to the rock-out title track, this is trio power rock at its best. "So Glad" has a beat that reminds me of Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine," but that's where that comparison ends. There is little ambiguity in Tree63's lyrics. The piano-driven ballad "I Stand for You" proclaims that the band stands for Jesus. Another ballad, "Let Your Day Begin," is a plea to Jesus, "I can't take one more step. . . I want to see your face, I want to hear your voice." This song would fit right in on the Newsboys' "Adoration."

The lyrics don't break any new ground but I appreciate the band including a Scripture reference with each song. It gives the listener another reason to get into their Bible. Beware, while there are a lot of great songs here, the CD clocks in at only 33:00 minutes.

- Rob S.